An outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump from South Florida was charged with sending explosive packages to at least a dozen of the president’s critics, apparently bringing to a close an attempted bombing spree that has gripped the country just ahead of the midterm elections.
The suspect, Cesar Sayoc Jr., 56, was arrested outside a car-repair shop in the Miami area after a fast-moving investigation in which the authorities said they were able to pull a fingerprint from one of the bomb packages and collect Sayoc’s DNA from two others.
Sayoc, who seemed to be living out of a van in Aventura, Florida, was taken into custody on a day when four more explosive packages were found, including two intended for US senators, both Democrats.
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A federal criminal complaint spells out his contempt for this week’s many bomb targets, noting that Sayoc’s van was slathered with images and slogans often found on fringe right-wing social media accounts.
The complaint identifies a Twitter account that authorities said he used to rail against Democratic figures, and it notes that both his social media messages and the bomb packages used the same misspelling - “Hilary Clinton” — for Trump’s 2016 opponent.
Sayoc also posted frequently on right-wing social media groups, authorities said. On Facebook, Sayoc published photos of a Trump rally he attended during the 2016 presidential campaign. He was wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat.
Of the four bombs discovered Friday, one was addressed to Sen. Cory Booker another was sent to James Clapper, a former director of national intelligence; and a third was intercepted before it reached Sen. Kamala Harris.
A fourth, found in a mail facility in California, was addressed to Tom Steyer, a prominent Democratic donor, Steyer said.
In all, Sayoc is believed to have sent at least 14 bombs to 12 targets, all of whom are regularly disparaged by the right.
At a news conference in Washington, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that Sayoc had been charged with five federal crimes, including the interstate transportation of an explosive, the illegal mailing of explosives and making a threat against a former president and others.
The packages sent by Sayoc included photographs of his intended targets, each one marked with a red X, according to the criminal complaint.
When asked why Sayoc had sent the bombs to Democrats, Sessions said that he was not sure, but added that the suspect “appears to be a partisan.”
FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said that the bureau was still trying to determine if Sayoc’s bombs were “functional” but noted that they contained “energetic material” that could be dangerous. Wray said the investigation was “active” and cautioned that there could be more bombs still undiscovered.
Speaking at the White House earlier on Friday, Trump praised law enforcement officials for quickly arresting a suspect.
“These terrorizing acts are despicable and have no place in our country,” he said.
But in a morning Twitter post before the arrest was announced, the president characterized the attempted bombings as an obstacle blocking Republican voters ahead of the midterms.
He suggested that the problem was not real or exaggerated, putting the word “bomb” in quotes.
Sayoc is a registered Republican whose arrest record in Florida dates back to 1991 and includes felony theft, drug and fraud charges, as well as allegations that he threatened to use a bomb, public records show.
His criminal history from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement indicates that he listed his occupation some years ago as “manager.”
According to a 2012 bankruptcy petition filed in Miami, Sayoc resided at the time at his mother’s home. “Lives w/mom,” a handwritten note on the petition said. “Has no furniture.”
Sayoc was arrested around 11 am Friday outside an AutoZone car repair shop in Plantation, Florida, about 20 miles from Aventura, officials said. Patrol cars shut down the surrounding streets, leaving rows of businesses inaccessible for part of the morning. The authorities also seized and towed away Sayoc’s white van, where he was apparently living.
The criminal complaint against Sayoc was filed in US District Court in Manhattan, where he will be prosecuted. Five of the bombs sent this week fall under the jurisdiction of federal prosecutors in Manhattan.
Sayoc is expected to appear before a judge in Florida on Monday.
A lawyer from the Federal Defenders office in Manhattan, Sarah Baumgartel, was assigned to represent him. “We hope that he will be presented in court and brought to New York expeditiously so that the case can proceed,” Baumgartel said.
One law enforcement official said the investigation came together less than 24 hours before the announcement, with a preliminary DNA match first and the fingerprint match coming sometime Friday morning.
Later on Friday, federal authorities executed a search warrant at a residence associated with Sayoc, but he had been living in his van. Agents conducted a preliminary sweep of the vehicle before towing it to the FBI office, where they were expected to search it later on Friday.
The official said that during an interview with agents, Sayoc denied playing any role in the bombing campaign.
